Statement from CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee On The Use of Negative Racial Stereotype In The Media

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Statement from CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee On The Use of Negative Racial Stereotype In The Media

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: J. Jioni Palmer

WashingtonD.C. – Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement today in response to an apparent disturbing trend of commentators using negative stereotypes of African Americans to make political points:

“It is a shame that when African Americans rise to positions of leadership their critics too often take to using some of the most pejorative stereotypes as fodder for the public’s amusement.

“In the little more than a month that Barack Obama has been president and Michael Steele has chaired the National Republican Committee, too many in the media have relied on negative racial stereotypes to degrade their leadership and in the process demean the African American community as a whole.

“While we are strong defenders of free speech, we call on the press to use better judgment and to refrain from the use of counterproductive and negative stereotypes.”